Michael james kerigaff



waited ,Sttte @met @imita Letters Patent No. 99,322, dated February 1, 1870; aatedated October 2 1, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the name,

To all perso-ns -to' whom these presents may come Be it known that I, MICHAEL JAMES KERIGAN, of

Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have made a new and useful invention, having reference to Mechanism for Operating the Bellows of an Organ or other Musical Instrument; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure .1 is a perspective view, and Figure 2, a transverse section of a reedorgan or rnelodeon-bellows with-my operativefmeclianism applied thereto.

In such drawingsv p H.' represents the middle or stationary board of the bellows, it having the back-board F and the exhaustboard G hinged or applied to it, in the usual manner.

The cap-board is shown, at H', as provided with the induct E.

The ednct of the exhaust-board is'shown, at B, as covered by the flap or valve f.

The pedal is represented at D. A ln carrying out my invention, I extend down from the exhaust-board G, a dat arm, c, to the lower part of which I joint a curved radial arm, b, byrextending a hook, d, projecting from one end of the radial arm, through a hole made in the arm c, the end ofthe arm b being allowed to abut against the arm c. The said arm c, I also project somewhat below tlie arm b, in order, that when the exhaust-board is in a vertical position, or retracted, the end of the hook may abut directly against the part e, so as to prevent any backlash or noise of the hook, which would be likely to arise from the momentum of the arm b, after each return of the exhaust-board toits normal or back position.

The parte and the hook d afford a convenient method of jointing the arm b to the arm c, and of adapting the parts, as they may become worn, so as to prevent noise in their operation, as the hook, from time to time, may be bent more or less, as occasion may require, `to bring it into proper relation with the part e.

The said curved radial arm is extended underneath the bellows, and up in rear of its back-board, in manner as represented, and, at its top, is fastened to one end of a stra-p or lexile band, g,l whose lower end is fastened to a curved arc, c, fixed to the pedal D, or

arranged therewith, in manner as represented, such pedal, at its lower end, being hinged to the bottom board I of the instrument.

In the drawings, the bellows-board H is represented as supported, at its ends, by two standards, K K,

erected on the bottom boardI.

The bellows is to be supposed to be .provided with the usual means of retracting its exhaust-board, the wind, by the forward movement of the said board, being extracted from the space between the boards F H, it escaping from such space through the holes A A of the board H.

By pressing the foot on the pedal, so as to force it downward, the strap g will draw on the radial arm b, and will move it, so as to cause it to move forward the exhaustzboard. v

The curves of the arm b and the arc a should be such as to cause the strap g, while in movement, to work, without noise, against either of such parts, they, 'with the pedal, when the latter is depressed, taking the positions as exhibited in iig. 2 by dotted lines.

The above-described mechanism for operating a bellows by a pedal has been found, iu practice, to be very etlicient, and to operate with little or no noise, which is a desideratum seldom attainable.

One great advantage ofthe mechanism is, that the power to operate the pedal does not increase as the pedal is depressed, but rather gives less, owing to thel mechanism acting somewhat like the two toggles of a press. This is a very important point gained, as it enables a performer to operate the bellows with little lfatigue, in comparison to what generally results with other mechanism as'ordinarily used.

I claim, as of myv invention, the following, viz: v

The combination of the curved radial arm b, the arm c, the connection-strap g, and the ar ,the whole being for application to the bellowsand pedal, in manner as described.

Also, the arrangement described, of the curved radial arm b, the connection-strap g, the arc a, and the arm c, with the bellows and pedal. p

` Also, the combination and arrangement of the stophook l and the projection e with the arms c andi, the bellows, the strip g, the arc a, and the pedal I5.

MICHAEL JAMES KERIGAN. Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, J. R.- Snow. 

